the houthis saw an opportunity. when i first arrived several months ago, the houthis had already pushed into the capital, sana'a. the houthis are mostly zaidi muslims, from the shia branch of islam. their slogan is now seen everywhere. it's a political chant from the days of ayatollah khomeini and the iranian revolution. it reads: "god is great, death to america, death to israel, god curse the jews, victory to islam." i stayed with the family of my close friend radiya, a human rights activist. her father, dr. mohmed al mutawakel, is a prominent, independent local politician. i ask radiya to take me on a drive around sana'a, to show me how the city has changed since the houthi takeover. (giggles) >> al ahmad: the houthis had set up checkpoints all over the city, but at the time they had left the yemeni government bureaucracy functioning. their control was still tentative. abdulillah is a member of the so-called revolutionary committee, which the houthis have established to impose their control on the government. they

the pro-houthi yemeni officers. 1 of the roads, and we have target these vehicles and this spot in order to hinder the movement of the houthi militias and in addition also with the -- to the work of the resistance committees. this was a fuel storage that was hit yesterday. because the houthis have stored a lot of petrol seized during the past few areas, and that's why we hit in order to prevent them from the use of this petrol and the oil derivatives. and never give them a chance to make use of what they have stored. this is not a strange thing, because the houthis are trying to achieve personal gains on the expense of the yemeni citizens. we all know that there is a lack of petrol and food and so many things in these cities because of the acts of the houthi militias and we're trying our best so as not to pave the way for them to continue their actings. we will never give the houthi militias a safe haven in any part of yemen whether now for in the future. the military equipment is also a target for the coalition for

the houthis the houthi militias and our operations extend from the borderline of libya to the north, until or up to to aden. those militias are acting and operating in isolation. we do not have a clear military plan. they are not even in contact or connection with one another one group to another. they are isolated, cut-off militias. they'll continue and work to drive them off prevent communication or supplies being provide: yesterday the coalition forces started and this will be demonstrated in order to make things clear. the past few days we have been monitoring houthi militias trying to stifle weapons to this particular island. this particular island houses large number of militias, rockets launchers, tanks, including surface to air missile. it is no secret that these weapons are positioned here in order to cripple the movement. over the past days the operation succeeded in destroying large numbers of weapons and ammunitions. this was one of the operations carried oh out yesterday. we'll continue to operate at the same level at the same momentum concerning the airstrikes we will a

so the houthis are not defeated. now, general -- the spokesperson of the saudi dead coalition says the operation technically speaking is not over because in the near future if they are trying to acquire new weapons they will use force. how can you do that and under which wization, we are going to see more tough times ahead and the situation remains very ambiguous. has there been any diplomacy a deal between the houthis and the president hadi? how is this going to be implemented and what do hay say tomorrow when we are not going to negotiate a settlement well, the suggestion has been made that it may be impossible to actually continue, because he has become lost in all of this and his deputy may be the person to take it forward. >> we snow that the houthis made it quite clear they would like to work in the future and that the era is over and he should go, which looks like the zebment of many wee players that hadi should go, launch as national unity dialog but then you have many problems on the ground. in the south sid

not that it slowed down the houthi movement. >> when we talk will houthi we talk about the houthi supporters the sympathizers and then supporters of former president saleh. what we've noticed is that the allies of the general peoples' congress have traveled around the world lobbying for diplomatic solutions over the past two days. it seems that these negotiations are coming to be fruitful. they're talking about oman possibly becoming the negotiating settlement, and oman was suggested to be a location for these talks prior to these airstrikes. pretty of these airstrikes were just targeting military infrastructure again. and the need for talks did not stop being important with these airstrikes. from the very start they could have saved themselves a lot of time by just engaging in political talks. they're going to be very happy. it seems that they might be able to reach an agreement allowing for aden to be a peaceful area. i think its important for president hadi to be on the ground. they cannot rule yemen while being in saudi arabia. while the houthis are on the ground the government is in a w

he has been accusing the houthis of targeting civilians, hospitals.e said they are trying to isolate the civilians in aden. we're also listening into that press conference was our correspondent who joins me live from doha. any spokesperson did address the humanitarian issue. he talked about the authorizization of a ship -- >>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm randall pinkston in new york city. the republican race for president is heating up today. you're looking at a hotel in downtown louisville kentucky where senator rand paul is expected to announce his bid for the 2016 presidential election. he is in his first term of office but conservative straw polls have put him on top of the pack of 2016 -- contenders. there has been a lengthy, lengthy pre-presentation. let's listen in now to senator rand paul. >> i have a message -- [ cheers ] >> -- a message that is loud and clear, and does not mince words. we have come to take our country back. ♪ >> -- they use washington as their personal pig give back. the special interests that are more concerned with

and would complete he's houthi militias. we feel responsibility towards the we then any citizens, and we need to stress that we've had the campaign to sport them and to help them. that's why the military actions are ongoing and there are a lot of efforts being exerted now to organize the humanitarian support in aden or in sanaa or in every part of the yemeni territories. this is the goal, and we need to guarantee that every assistance goes to the yemenis who are in need. the red cross and have also played a role, a big role, and some of them have made efforts in isefforts in sanaa increasing medical services given to yemeni citizens. these are some of the operations carried out today. as i said, we target all the governing of these houthi militias and all the places where they used to store the weapons, hospitals schools and we need to stress that these militias have no ethics, if i could say. they could sacrifice the yemeni citizen for the interest of their benefits but they will never have in yemen. this is our word now. >

and those that support the houthi militias.nd of work today is to attack targets, identify them and the elements that conduct these operations and to target these units, because these are the units capable of conducting the operations and so supply supply the houthis with the element of mobility ammunitions, fuel and previously we have spoken about the houthi militias through on-sites and through other operations. these elements now have become isolated in aden. but, you know, this is -- that these elements are either houthi or the forces that follow the deposed president are moving according -- the pressure that we are exercising via air campaigns. so first we start [ inaudible ] and now they moved to shabwa and now they are appearing in [ inaudible ], and everybody think they are controlling the situation. but they are just small units that are isolated and they are trying to -- to exercise any kind of media presence that follows a certain path and we're going to target them and we will meet them. i want to confirm an importa

personnel operating in yemen left after the air base was captured by houthi -- before houthi fightersk over the air base in the port city of aden but it seems like that the operations against al-qaeda continue gathering intelligence about the whereabouts and the movements of those operatives continued. it could be another scenario that the saudis who are launching attacks against houthi fighterers still active in sharing some intelligence with the americans and coordinating those attacks. >> all right. hashem thank you very much. >>> we will have much more on the conflict in yemen later in the program when the saudi-lead coalition holds its daily briefing. ♪ >>> now the u.s. president barack obama has promised an extra $200 million worth of humanitarian aid to iraq. the announcement comes as iraq's prime minister visits the white house. he had been expected to ask for more military support in the fight against isil. we'll head live to washington, d.c. and get the back on those discussions later on. but right now as you can see the saudi briefing is underway. that taking place, of cour

and not fighting with houthi malitias or other walks of life.gain the current conditions mandate that we should provide the necessary and positive environment for aid to have access on the ground. we are now in close contact and coordination with relief aid in order to provide access and set schedules and assign the rules through which they can act in line with the military campaign to ensure relief aid is reaching the needy person not the fighting malitias. from the very first day of the operations the u.n. tried to affect their subjects, the planes were already on the ground yet it was the houthi and the supporters who obstructed the eviction process. during the -- throughout the course of the day was reported in the media that certain victims have fallen in a daily product mill or a refugee camp. i emphasize that the coalition forces mentioned on a number of occasions that the houthi malitias are playing as expected taking human beings civilians as shield. and also bombarding them. this is a clear indication of their despair to achieve any mi

he's not supporting the houthis. confidential this contradict what is he said earlier when he sent his son just before the beginning of the strikes send sent him with the same offer but now saleh has no conditions. when he sent his son he had conditions but he wanted his son to be the president--to run for the election. also he's going to abandon the houthis. now in his message to the gcc leaders he said that actually he has not been part of this. he has not been with the youths. we has no ties with them. he just wants to leave yemen safely. and apparently the gcc leaders have categorically rejected that offer. >> mohammed, thank you very much indeed. we'll bring in one of the major players in all of this. the u.n. specialist adviser on yemen. very good to have you with us on the news hour. let me ask you first about that breaking news that ali abdullah saleh says that he's not supporting the outies, and he wants out of the country. what will that do to the houthi offensive, do you think? >> well, look, this comes ju

these houthi militias will have two options. either to stay where they are in the camps of the yemeni army diseased by them, and the targeted by the coalition they're easy target for the warplanes. we have targeted more than one road leading to aden or to prevent these militias from moving towards the city of aden. they are carried out certain raids on these places of militias. whether these locations are for the rebels or for those supporting the ousted president ali abdullah saleh. this has been mentioned and we need to the of weapons that have been stored and seized by militias. why that's why they're continuing the process of hitting these weapons. also yesterday we hit the bridge coming from the north towards aden because the militia movements. we have to target to prevent the houthis from movement not to destroy for the sake of destroying the bridges. you can see the volume of explosion in these weapons stores. also this is one of the military camps in the northern of yemen in saada and we know in the last few days groups

there are reports weapons and reinforcements are being flown in to the houthis. saudis say this is one of the reasons it is taking so long to defeat them. this is a war over control of yemen. control on the ground, is crucial. the saudis and their allies want to ensure president hattie can rule, they may have no choice but to send in ground troops. >> al jazeera. >> in the last half hour, saudi arib yeah's ambassador, has given more details about coalition campaigning. helicopters, medium weapons command and control air defense. as well as some of the strategic communications routs that they have used in order to try to take over yemen. >> our correspondents and on the border, in washington d.c. the saudi ambassador there also making a point about the u.n. resolution on sanctions against the houthiss what did he say? well as you might expect, he welcomed it, and he took it as a sign that the international community was united behind saudi arabia, now approaching it's third week, but beyond that, it was very much a >> about some sort of mass ground maneuver exerci

it was the houthis who threatened the leaders of yemen so it is the houthis who know what needs to be done in order to arrive at a political settlement. we have the gcc initiative the outcomes of the national dialogue in yemen. we have the various united nations security council resolutions, the most recent being 2216. and it is our hope that the -- that all yemeni parties will be able to work together in order to implement the -- what everybody knows is the settlement to yemen's problem. and we hope they'll be able to put in place a constitution that works for everyone. we hope they'll be able to have an election law that is fair that leads to free and transparent elections and that yemen then can move on in terms of its -- the political process towards a much better future. so it is our hope that the political talks would resume as quickly as possible and conclude as quickly as possible. with regards to iran we don't believe iran has any role to play in yemen. iran is not a neighboring country of yemen. we see iran as part of the problem in yemen, not the solution. the support that

any houthis fighters.his shows one of the axises leading to aden. this light was cut off in order to prevent any supplies headed to houthis fighters who are bunkered inside the city. as we reiterated on a number of occasions, we are most aiming at destroying the infrastructure. this is a purely military target in order to cut off lines of supply to the houthis fighters. we also continue to target the installations in which houthis fighters are stationed. one of the camps through yemen namely inside the province. and as i stated earlier over the past few days, houthis militants are trying to redeploy and in what we call, militarily speaking an attack to restore the positions that they had first. we prevented them from taking advantage of the weapons this is a battery that has been targeted and directly preventing the houthis from taking -- making use of it. this is also one of the military en -- and installations of mouth. this is directly targeted and hit. one of the command centers used by houthis militia

houthis. we'll also continuing the support of the help with the evacuation of humanitarian support. there will be some military action when deemed necessary. >> coming up we'll have reaction from washington and the united states. mohammed we now have operation newell hope where does that go? >> i yes i think everybody should wait for tomorrow to see what happens in the next few hours of the morning tomorrow whether we'll see the outies announcing this as a victim along with the allyies. whether we'll see the houthis maintaining their positions everything will hinge on the action of the houthis. if they don't continue to fight this means that there is a deal behind the scenes. we've seen in a the saudis saying that the outings should retreat. we have seen letters and envoys saying there must be a political solution and two days ago the general congress party announced that it's welcome the united nations security council resolution they were saying that they are beginning a new phase. >> the sa

iran did not give earth to the houthis. and the support of the houthis is not by their success. to have survived on their own. have exploited the opportunity to stick the thumb in the eye of the saudi's. i have skimmed over a number of things. out be happy to take your question, but let me close by saying there is no military solution to the current problems in yemen. thank you. [applause] dr. anthony: thank you, david. we now have mr. abas. a journalist. he is an editor of a widely well-received, respected journal. translating simultaneously for him will be -- >> good morning, everyone. i will speak -- [speaking in a foreign language] [speaking a foreign language was back] >> good morning, everybody. greetings to everyone. i will be translating. he cited a verse from a yemeni poet. basically the idea that there is a tragedy going on in yemen since the air of spring. -- arab spring. any, many factors coalesce. and now al qaeda seems to be getting stronger. mr almosawa: [speaking in a foreign language] [speaking in a foreign language was back [speaking in a foreign language] >> t

you know the houthi forces are pretty much defeated.hey can ally with various local groups and they might be able to establish a stable front in some places but it's not clear how that would stabilize the entire front. the costs, you correctly note are incredible. any air campaign whether it's by the saudis by the americans, by anybody, it's going to en i havetabley have civilian casualties. particularly in this case instead of having mass army formations you have the houthi fighters dispersed among the civilians, you are inevitably going to kill civilians in these attacks. that's where we are. there is no fear immediate outcome unless we can get a negotiated settlement. >> okay. there is another element to this because we are running out of time a little bit. particularly resonates in the united states. perhaps you can give us a sense of it. >> that's the state of al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula which, as far as one can tell, seems to be profiting somewhat from all of this. there was until recently a covert drone campaign run by the

why don't you face us on the ground. >> the houthis say they won the war. meanwhile, the human toll of the conflict is continuing to rise. >> houthis target any woman, child or man, they blindly targeted all of us. >> translation: we are no longer able to receive more cases, it's beyond our capability in the hospital. we are putting patients in the corridors and reception. we are short staffed and don't have enough beds or medicine. >> reporter: the international red creditors declared the situation catastrophic and called for better a.b.c. to aid. the saudi-led coalition launched an operation with the aim of restoring peace in yemen. so far there are no signs of a peaceful resolution to the conflict >>> meanwhile, u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon is calling for an end to the violence. >> i hope this phase will lead to an end of all fighting in yemen. in fact this morning when i read that report that fighting was resumed, i was very much concerned about that. i hope that there will be an end of fighting as soon as possible. >> the e.u. is holding an emerg

we know there are more pro saleh troops than houthis because the houthis are not that many, they can'tto every spot in yep end and have enough men there the yemeni army, the section of the yemeni army loyal to saleh is doing the crucial job here, they have the heavy weapons the no how the skills, they know the area they have been in bases around aden. and the houthis are for saleh the houthises have always been the outward umbrella or the outwards aspect of the situation. he has been using them big time to achieve his goals. >> you mentioned the pro saleh units, is it surprising or is it rather expected that at this point, saleh still retains power among some army units? >> good question, because, you know the perception is that these troops are mercenaries and that saleh is pairing their salaries. yeah that's also true. he is paying their salaries, but are they actually mercenaries are are they people who are on the one hand sadies, he has been recruited only among them, so they are people not only pro saleh, they are also pro rudies. so it'size for them with help from saleh and the i

not just among the houthis. they may find what they saw as a proxy war with iran will transform into an actual war with yemen. brown operations site non-yemeni forces and the approaches if the transfer forces can be ejected. i think they're actually a saudi army but great that such size. they are ill at bias. the egyptian army lost 25 dozen soldiers in north yemen in 1960s. an assault from the red sea would force a potentially endless series. the many army showed if you want to be capable of ousting from everywhere south of samarra on their own. the question is who does the army answer to? loyalties that transit is in yemen. hopefully saudi influence and money could force us back to the yemeni government if they have a happy outcome become more expensive and less likely. a word on aqa ps jeremy foreshadowed. a few ap remains an important security concern for america. both are wrong kids all love -- all the capabilities to mount attacks and indeed on the deputy crown prince. a few ap is a shared concern. yemen ha

houthis houthis use propaganda to gain support, but the yemenis know we are trying to free them. >> reporter: air attacks intensified in parts of the country. forces loyal to hard-ali abdullah saleh and houthis are pulling out of some areas. ground fighting moved to aden. a secessionist group said it has taken over the airport and surrounding area. the secessionists are one of a number of groups fighting the houthis on the ground. each has its own agenda. players include forces loyal to abd-rabbu mansour hadi and various tribes. the saudi foreign minister says regaining control of yemen will not come easily but the region's stability depend on it. saudis are building international support for military intervention. foreigners trapped in yemen are desperate to leave. about 350 citizens left aboard this ship last night. for all those who remain there are growing concerns about the humanitarian crisis and no sign of a ceasefire any time soon >>> yemen's foreign minister says his government's main problem is not the houthis, but the former president ali abdullah saleh. >> the main things now is

between the houthis and some of the other elements. some of the conservative sunni elements of the society. that flared up last summer in an area north, in the northern part of the country near the traditional houthi area. >> let me interject in here. what you're saying i think is what i'm hearing is the houthis didn't feel like they were involved sufficiently in the hadi government? they didn't have enough input is that -- >> they weren't technically part of the hadi government. they didn't have seats to the hadi government. they were part of the larger political process. they were participants in the national conference. >> will the vice president's appointment will enough as far as what they're looking for as far as representation? and does the appointment of mr. baja as vice president does it weaken president hadi's effectiveness if he were to go back into power? >> the appointment of baja as prime minister last september was one of the elements that resolved the first confrontation with the houthis last september when they signed

free them from the houthis. >> reporter: forces loyal to deposed president saleh and houthis are pulling from areas. intense ground fighting has moved to the port city of aden. a secessionist group says it has helped take over the southern city's international airport and the surrounding area. the secessionists are just one of a number of groups now might go the houthis on the ground. each has its ona general own agenda. players include the president and various tribes. they say regaining control of yemen won't come easily but the region's stability depends on it. the saudis are building international support for their military intervention. foreigners trapped in yemen are desperate to leave. about 350 indian citizens left for djibouti aboard this indian navy ship last night. for all of those who remain, there are growing concerns about a humanitarian cries discuss no sign of a ceasefire any time soon. >> the government says the main problem isn't the houthis but the former president saleh. >> the main problem is if the saleh forces stop fighting with them they will start to retreat. our

at the moment the houthis are on the ground. ali abdullah saleh the ex-president, his allies are on the ground, and it's difficult to know if it will go smoothly. >> all along there it has been said there needs to be a diplomatic solution. he has been appointed by president baha, and he's far more popular among a broad range of people in yemen. >> there are many people who are actually hoping for this and saying that it's time to step down. but at the same time the cards have been burned so it's difficult. is baha going to step up and take the presidency and work with the very fragile. are they going to find the political alliances? he is very popular and liked by many groups. not like hady. hadi had very few supporters, really on the ground, sort of speaking because of the difficult situation within the few years that he was in control. >> it's been very interesting talking with you. thank you for come together studio. >>> can you describe what it's like inside sanaa the capital tonight? >> well surprisingly it's been calm over

also the houthis are acting on the allies of ali abdullah saleh in yemen. they have stormed a prison. they have liberated 300 prisoners. they gave them the choice between fighting along side the houthies or remaining in prison. we understand that they have been ousted from a few days ago the houthies, but now they're back in the center of the town. also in the capital cap some linked to al-qaeda have been able to storm a jail. they've been able to take parts of the city, and there is an alliance of tribal forces that is moving into the town they have been already been able to liberate and to take the airport, and it's from the reports we have they are trying to take the town back from the houthies. it's a very chaotic situation. it seems from the reports that we'll see that it's not as easy and as simple as the spokesman the saudi alliance has been talking about. they are not contained fighting is still going on in many areas and now the alliance is bombard bombarding sanaa including the sarif mountains and also the air base and that's a sign of presence of

a demand rejected by the houthies. al jazeera. >> well, the arabic correspondent has this update on the coalition's daily briefing. >> regarding the updates from the airstrikes, the spokesman of the forces stated in the press conference in the daily press conference he confirmed that they have targeted many weapons and ammunition storages. he stressed on something. he stressed that there are many and huge number of storages in yemen. they are targets now. one important thing he added. he said that he's trying to limit the troops' movement inside yemen. the houthis militias, and he also mentioned that they are trying to prevent any kind of support that houthies might receive in yemen by targeting the infrastructure that they are using, and in the end of the press conference he said one important note. he said in response to one of the questions that iran and hezbollah are involved in training houthies militia. >> well, let's get more now we know who is suffering, no doubt about it that the civilians in particular childr

are there alongside the houthis. the houthis alone could not have continued to fight in aden or anyone else in aden without the troops. it's a hit-and-run situation, and as the spokesman. -- the army spokesman of the coalition said the houthis are trying to make a point to show defiance and also send a message that the saudis are failing. that these air strikes will only lead to the killing of civilians but will not defeat the houthis. however, the spokesman has said this is a lomg battle. we're not waiting for immediate results. this has to take its course and the houthis are making media or propaganda victories. we have to give it time before they're dwee feeted. >> all of this chaos in and around aden and all the cities further north is allowing the group that was most feared previous by the u.s. and other countries in yemen, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, to make ground in the east of the country. >> exactly, and that has always been a pattern for al qaeda where there is total chaos, al qaeda thrives on that

by rocket attack by the houthis. day after that a factory was hit in aiden and scores of people also were killed in that factory, again, the same exchange of blame between the two sides and saudis said on both occasions they would launch an investigation, however, until now we don't have the results of those investigations and in any case the civilians are the victims. >> now we are also hearing a line of saudi officials that the border is a lot safer and tell us more about that the situation on the border and what does a lot safer mean and look like? >> yes, the saudis have been doing us everything they can to make sure no infiltration by the houthis happens but we have seen a couple of occasions when saudi soldiers were killed by houthi attacks from behind the borderline. this is a very dangerous situation for saudi arabia particularly with regards to the internal public opinion in the country because one of the objectives for these strikes is to make sure that the conflict in yemen doesn't spill over in saudi arab

i am not a houthi lover. actually have attacked my family, my people, and they have basically carried arms against the central state. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: the houthis have actually used the libyan example. they have used arms against everybody else, but they have expelled the president from -- the legitimate president. they have basically attacked the state. the problem is that the current conflagration, the current war, is actually assisting the houthis. [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: both saudi arabia and iran have their own agendas. they are basically using yemen, libya, iraq, syria to basically eke it out with each other. [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: iran supports its own groups. at the same time saudi arabia supports its own groups. and the u.s. have committed many egregious mistakes in afghanistan and iraq and libya. and the problem

the houthis blame the saudi-led coalition for targeting civilians. accusations dismissed by the coalition. >> the houthis were the ones who attacked the dairy factory. sources confirmed us that. the rebels used rockets in the attack and people were killed. houthis use problem began da to win support of the yemenese. >> airstrikes have intensified in the southern part of the country. forces loyal to deposed president ali abdullah saleh and who it is are pulling out from areas. intense ground fighting has moved to the port city of aden. a secessionist group has helped take over the southern city's international airport and surrounding area. the secessionists are just one of a number of groups now fighting the houthis on the ground. each has its own agenda. the players include forces loyal to president adou rabbo mansour hadi and various tribes. the saudi foreign minister says regaining control of yemen won't come easily, but the region stability dependency on it. the saudis are building international support for their mill at her intervention. foreigne

iran has been accused of backing houthi rebels. bernard smith reports from istanbul. >> recep tayyip erdogan had been previously accused iran of some attacks. on this visit he focused on the strong economic ties between the two. >> translation: we have signed agreements and have been able to under what we have achieve. the region we are located is volatile. we had the chance to discuss matters and see what common steps we can take in the international area. >>> a series of economical cultural agreements from signed and it was left to the iranian president to talk about yemen. >> translation: both parties are of the same view, that this ability, conflict should come to an end in this region. both think we should end the possible, and there should be a ceasefire. the attacks from neighbouring countries should come to an end, and we should have the situation where we can provide humanitarian support. >> reporter: before flying to iran, recep tayyip erdogan met arabia. turkey suggested that it may offer support to saudi arabia as it ca

the houthis should withdraw from the city. is there a deal we don't know of if they stop the air strikes will immediately move away and allow the president who is now in saudi arabia to move and then start negotiations the next few days will show that it is going to be interesting to see when we do finally hear from the president, because it had. rumored he would speak today. >> yeah, ewith have earlier reports that he is going to speak, but what we have heard tonight is a letter from the president that let ever was addressed to saudi arabia yesterday, we don't know whether this letser what was expecting or whether the president is going to speak after this announcement tonight. >> they are able to deploy fighters in different parts of the country and their strong hold the province, this raises questions about what we are going to see in the near future are we going to see a political settlement, where parties in yemen offer major confessions so we can move forward, are we going to see them provide forces loyal to the presiden

saw that report some close to the houthis, in between the houthi and the salah camp. the two are allies have gone to saudi arabia and were critical of the houthis, saying they have committed crimes and we have reports suggesting that the former president may be thinking of sending an envoy to the g.c.c. countries to suggest a new approach where he can distance himself from the houthis. we need more details about this as you know before the beginning of this fight, he sent his son to riyadh in an attempt to prevent the invasion of yemen or the air strikes on yemen, and the offer rejected by riyadh at the time it's the second attempt by ali abdullah saleh to find a solution away from the conflict and we know everyone in the war is looking for an exit. particularly the houthis, because the would of them are now much more beleaguered and besieged after the decision yesterday. >> sounds like a significant moment in the crisis in yemen. thank you >>> now, cubans have been welcoming the u.s. president obama's proposal to remove their county from a list of state sponsors of t

and it's not just houthi fighters. troops loyal to ali abdullah saleh are active across the country. he may not be able to command ear the support to bridge the divisions. he's likely to be replaced by the vice president and prime minister. he has received the backing of the houthis. they face the task of reuniting yemenis and bringing an end to decades of instability. >> president obama says the conflict can only be resolved through dialogue making the comment during an interview with a u.s. channel. >> that's always been a fractious country with a lot of problems. it's very poor and right now there's a lot of people inside of yemen suffering. what we need to do is bring the parties together. it is not solved by having another proxy war fought inside of yemen, and, yes, we've indicated the run ins they need to be part of the solution not the problem. >> a retired lebanese army general joins us from beirut. the end of the air strikes. it doesn't mean the fighting on the ground, the conflict as a whole will end, does it

air strikes continue to target houthi positions in sadr. their strong hold, and the capital where some of the best trained army units loyal to salah are based. the saudi arabia led collision is camping up a campaign to force houthis and allies to disarm. join political talks to solve the crisis. the houthis say they will not hold talks if the air strikes continue >>> meanwhile, iraq's prime minister criticized the saudi arabia-led campaign haider al-abadi told a group of journalists that the operation has no logic. there are fears that the fighting in yemen could engulf the whole region in war >>> forces loyal to libya's internationally recognised government carried out air strikes on a military base controlled by the rival government. they are said to have inflict damage to a base to the north >>> in syria eight have been killed in a g.s.t. attack in the south-east of damascus -- government attack in the south-east of damascus. the region, eastern ghouta came under attack by government air strikes and forces in recent days. >> the columbia

they believe it could be carrying weapons for houthi rebels.ama said the navy is there to assure the shipping efforts. >> what we've seen if there are weapons delivered to factions within yemen, they could threaten navigation. that's a problem. and we're not sending them obscure messages. we send them very direct messages about it. >> now, iran is calling for humanitarian aid. they want what they call a political process inside yemen. complicated the efforts to work out a nuclear deal between iran united states and its allies. those tox resume today in vienna. i want to get the iranian perspective here. our senior international correspondent frederik pleitgen is live inside of tehran this morning. fred what are you hearing? >> reporter: hi john well the atmosphere here is one where many iranians believe that improved relations with the united states could be a possibility, especially looking at the nuclear negotiations. but as you said there are already issues that are duplicating it. and the one thing that still defines the relation between th

the houthi are not controlled directly by iran. however, we have seen in recent years growth and expansion in iranian engagement with the houthi. we believe that iran sees opportunities with the houthi to expand its influence in yemen and threaten saudi and gulf arab interests. iran provides financial support, weapons, training and intelligence to the houthi. in the weeks and months since the houthi entered sanaa and forced the legitimate government first to resign and ultimately flee from the capital we have seen a significant expansion of iranian involvement in yemen's domestic affairs. we're also particularly concerned about the ongoing destabilizing role played by former president salah, who since his removal from power in 2011 has actively plot theedted to undermine president hadi and the political process. despite sanctions and condemnation of his actions salah continues to be one of the primary sources of the chaos in yemen. we have been working with our gulf partners in the international community to isolate him and prevent

he started by saying that the houthis have killed people and destroyed property and said that the houthis must surrender their weapons and go back to the political process. he praise those who have been fighting against the houthi rebels. he also praised vice president bahah, describes him as a valuable asset to the government. well the independent yes then analyst joins us now from washington, d.c. and i gather you've been listening to that press conference in arabic, so you probably have a better idea exactly what the president has been saying. what is your take on what he said tonight? >> well, he didn't say a lot that's new except that he's looking forward to creating a national military. given that the airstrikes completely destroyed the infrastructure of yemen's military it's going to be a spark to build something new from zero. he's saying that he guarantees that the next military will be a lot stronger and better than any military before, and it will be very national. while that's very nice to hear, the realities on the ground, especially after the airstrikes going on for four wee

the saudi-led coalition pounds the houthis and allies from the air. among the targets a metal factory allegedly used as a base, reduced to rubble. the coalition limited its attacks to air strikes, al jazeera is told a ground offensive is being considered. >> it is part of the campaign plan. when the time and we find a necessity to go to the next step. i think it could be an option. gun gun >> reporter: it appears that the houthis and ali abdullah saleh's forces are on the back foot. the ousted president sent an envoy to gulf countries with a proposal guaranteeing him a safe exit. the saudis and their allies say that ali abdullah saleh cannot be part of the political solution. >> ali abdullah saleh and the militias are not part of the plan. the plan is yemen. now we are facing the same thing, they are in the same vote, the same end. >> reporter: even if a military victory appears imminent for the saudi-led coalition, the political conflict within yemen's society remains. finding a solution will require a consensus by all sides, not victory by one >>> n

he has not been with the houthies. he has no ties with them, and he just wants to leave yemen safely and apparently the gcc leaders have categorybly reject categoryically rejected that offer. >>> we have more now on how the military operation is unfolding. >> houthi tanks destroyed in saudi-led airstrikes. coalition officials say that the tanks were on their way to aden where fighting continues 37 these warplanes were spotted on the runway of the military base in sanaa. >> the houthies are unorganized. they're try to redi ploy to other areas, but they were targeted by coalition forces. >> for saudi arabia, the use of force was the only way to prevent the houthis from controlling yemen. >> i would not describe it as as proxy war with iran, but a war of necessity. taking over a radical group allied with iran and hezbollah. the last time i checked iran did not have a border with yemen. there is no reason for iran to be involved with yemen. >> houthi fighters backed by drops loyal to ali abdullah saleh. forces oiled to yem

that's where houthi rebels are advancing. planes are targeting shebwa, heavy fighting on the ground there, tribesmen are getting involved. what's concerned the houthi incursion in some areas, saudi arabia says it's stepped up attacks on the houthis. >> the air attacks amounted to 120 yesterday and this number is going to increase. the militias will never be allowed to stay longer. all the fronts have been busy. we're targeting all the infrastructure on the houthis targeting their command centers. >> ahmed faiziz explained what is happening there. >> translator: the shebwa tribes are engaged in a ground offensive. under attack for almost four days. >> joining me in studio george redding, thank you very muchth deed for coming in. so far what do you make of the progress of the air strikes that's happening in yemen and what's happening with those? >> the air strikes have slowed the progress of the houthi rebels. but only had a limited effect. it's all come down now to aden where the houthi advance has slowed but they've only been

with tanks and missiles for possible houthi advance. they've also reportedly regained control of the area taken over by fighters allied to former president ali abdullah saleh and known to be former members of al-qaeda. all signs that yemen is strongly in the grip of war. >> let's take a closer look at key military facilities which hold the key to controlling aden. the other force base is west of the main airport. the armed police base is nearby. then there's the military base on the mountain so the south and the base near the coast. just north of that, the military base providing access to aden by the sea. all five bases are on the aden peninsula, meaning there is limited road access in and out. as the russian proposal is considered so humanitarian aid can get into the areas the u.n. says more than 500 people have been killed sings the bombing campaign began almost two weeks ago. more than 1,007 hen people have been wounded. tens of thousands have been forced to take refuge in nearby somalia and djibouti. a political analyst joins us no

>>reporter: the houthis reject the authority of president hadi. they've so far ignored all calls to leave the areas they control in yemen including the capital. >> the bombing alone is not going to do -- would never achieve its objectives and with the civilian casualties i think the saudis realize they've done everything they can and the best thing now, you can have is an negotiated solution. this was a face saving way out for them. >>reporter: the air strikes may have ended but peace remains a long way off and it's not just houthi fighters. troops loyal to former president saleh are still active across the country. hadi may not be able to commandeer the support needed and replaced by the vice president. they now face the difficult task of uniting yemenis and bringing an end to decades of instability. >>> u.s. president barack obama says the conflict can only be resolved through dialogue. he made the communities during an interview with u.s. channel msnbc. >> that's always been an fractious country and right now people in yemen are suffering. we n

targeting houthis rebels. hello. this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, elsewhere in yemen, al quaida says it's spiritual leader is killed in a drum strike. the fight against isil the prime minister goes to washington to seek more help in the battle. still no sign of the 200 school girls kidnapped by boko haram. and the cat you really don't want to cuddle the report on tasmania's mission against ferrell felines. >> hello we begin in yemen the the united nations skirt council has voted in favor of a draft resolution. it calls on the houthis rebels to stop fighting and withdraw from all areas. in yemen itself there's been more fighting. aid agencies are continuing to warn that supply routs are being threatened by the conflict. joined now by jordan's ambassador. to give office little bit more on this, good to have you with us, thank you for taking the time. >> thank you. >> one thing really underscored by this draft resolution is the division between with the arab gulf states and russia in all of this. of course, the resolution went through,

let's take a look a look. >> they are ferociously opposed to the houthis and they consider the houthislity for the bombing. the houthi leadership quickly arranged a large state funeral for the victims and an even bigger rally in the following days. >> and that was after an alleged al qaeda bombing and obviously houthis, mostly shia al qaeda sunni militants. should we see this as a shia-sunni dispute or is it more complicated than that? >> no. calling them shia millionisha is really not informative. they are originally zadi muslims which is an off shoot which is different from the shiite for example in iran. so it is shorthand for people to write shia militia and that doesn't tell you the depth of the complexity of who the houthis are because it is political as well as it is for al qaeda in yemen. they use sectarian language to gal anize people around them and to simplify the conflict in that way but really the situation is much more complex than that. for me the relationship between the houthis and iran is more of a political one, it is not a sectarian relationship at all. >> the situa

but the houthis seem far from being broken. they've marched in the capital sanaa which they still control. they chanted victory denounced the saudi led strikes and promised alegions answer to their leader. and troops loyal to former president saleh joined the march. >> we're telling them shame on you, why don't you face us on the ground, why don't you face us like men. we are solid like rocks. >> reporter: the houthis say they want this war and any peace deal should be based on their early agreement with yemeni political parties which was signed last september the day after they took control of the capital sanaa. meanwhile, the human toll of the conflict continues to rise. >> translator: any woman any child any man they simply were blindly and randomly targeting any of us. >> we are no longer able to receive more cases. it is beyond our capability in the hospital. we are putting patients in the corridors and hallways. we are putting up to nine people in each room. >> the international association of red cross has called it cata

the resolution condemns the houthis.says they must stop all violence and relinquish all of the territory they have taken including the capitol sana'a. there are sanctions and an arms embargo. the former president under u.n. sanctions. they will now have an rmarms embargo on them. and they are adding two more people to that list of people to be sanctioned. the leaders of the houthis, and the former president's son an important figure as an ambassador to the uae at one point. the security council will be meeting in the next few minutes. the diplomats are gathering in the security council chamber, and the key thing to watch here is what russia will do. russia has certainly agreed to some amendments in the long negotiations on this text but russia we believe, still has some difficulties with some of the language in the text. so will russia support this resolution? will russia abstain? both of those will probably mean the resolution will pass or will russia use its no vote and that means that the resolution would go nowhere,